Abstract: A scanning apparatus is described with a transport device for conveying a cassette past a scanning and erasing station, which transport device comprises a scanning carriage (31), a carriage carrier (63) on the top surface of the carriage near its leading end, an endless belt (26) which has an upper stretch which runs through a groove in the top surface of the carriage, belt carrier device (60) on said endless belt, a coupling mechanism (64) for coupling the upper stretch of the belt to the carriage, and control unit (86, 78) for controlling the operation of said coupling mechanism.

Abstract: Scanning apparatus with a scanning and erasing station for scanning and erasing a cassette of the type used in photo-stimulable luminiscence ("PSL") radiography, which apparatus has a cassette receiving station comprising a roll-down shutter (15) for supporting thereon a vertical stack (35) of cassettes to be scanned, lateral grippers (42, 43) for supporting the bottom cassette (33) of said stack at opposite lateral sides thereby to hold said bottom cassette while a bottom supporting roller shutter (15) is temporarily removed, and vertical transfer support cams (51, 52) for taking over the support of the bottom cassette from the lateral grippers, and for first lowering said cassette over a distance equal to the height of the cassette so that the next cassette can be gripped and held by the lateral grippers, and for then further lowering said bottom cassette on the scanning carriage (31) of said scanning station.